They have three very good prospects — Shea Theodore, who played 13 games when Fowler was out with a sprained knee but is back in the AHL; an offensive dynamo in Brandon Montour, who is playing for Dallas Eakins in San Diego along with Theodore; and 2015 first-round pick Jacob Larsson, who is only 18 but is playing for Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League.

It’s an embarrassment of riches on the back-end.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray likely wouldn’t give up any of his young NHL defencemen for two months of Ladd — even if Ladd is the owner of two Stanley Cup rings from his time with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Chicago Blackhawks — because he’s going the free-agent route July 1.

Or, if Boston were to offer up fellow unrestricted free-agent winger Loui Eriksson, who is not as tough as Ladd but who possesses more skill.

But would Murray — knowing the window for winning a Cup with his two best players Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, who turns 31 in May — give up anybody who’s not on his current team to win now? A piece of the future?

Like Montour, the 2014 second-round pick who has 38 points in 44 games in the AHL.

Or Larsson, the 27th overall choice in 2015?

It’s an interesting question.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is tickled with his defence,

“We’re young right now, and Theodore is the next in line. Our power play was at 30 per cent when he was up here. He gets the puck through. He’s not one of these guys who gets shots blocked every two seconds.

“Montour looks good, we had him at camp and he skates well … he’s a little reckless right now but he’s 21 years old, that’s what you’d expect. He competes, though, and he’s good on the power play. We think he’s a good candidate to make the NHL,” said Boudreau.

“We’re set for awhile with young defencemen and we drafted another one Larsson who’s playing for the Elite team in Sweden. He’s supposed a real good player,” said Boudreau.

Maybe, they’d like to trade one of the defencemen to the Oilers, apart from Ladd.

“That’s not my department,” Boudreau said with a laugh.

After losing Justin Schultz to the Oilers after drafting him in the second round in 2008, they’ve stockpiled defencemen. Vatanen is probably the one defenceman on their current team they might move for a ready-made winger who has term on his contract; not a rental like Ladd.

The Ducks lost to the Blackhawks in seven games in the second-round of the playoffs last spring, when they started losing faceoffs, chasing pucks, and with the Hawks’ Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane elevating their games.

They didn’t have the same defensive responsibility last year as they do now, either. They had to be when they started with one win in their first 10 games and were shut out five times, and they scored one in two others.

“We faced some adversity this year that we haven’t before,” said Andrew Cogliano, knowing the Ducks had to scramble mightily after digging the early hole and the way they went about it was trying to win 2-1 games.

“I don’t think we’ve made up the offence losing (Kyle) Palmieri and (Matt) Beleskey, but Getzlaf has been really good (43 points in the last 39 games he’s played), and (Rickard) Rakell is better with another year of experience (29 points) and Perry is scoring (22 goals his last 44 games),” said Boudreau.

“We might not have the pre-eminent 30-goal potential of Palmieri or 20 from Beleskey, but we’re doing it by committee. (Mike) Santorelli has nine goals, David Perron is averaging a point a game since we got him (trade). It’s a different looking team, but I’d venture a guess since Christmas we’re one of the higher scoring teams in the league,” said Boudreau.

They came into the Oilers’ game with 27 goals in their previous seven games.

Boudreau has broken up Getzlaf and Perry, playing Perry with Rakell on a second line.

“It makes it a lot more difficult for the other team having them on different lines,” said Boudreau. “You can’t play your 1-2 defencemen against both of them. And Perry has found chemistry with Rakell and Getzlaf with Perron, so it’s working out.”

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